Bills sign veteran pass rusher to bolster defensive line

The Buffalo Bills have added some depth to their defensive line, signing veteran pass rusher Dawuane Smoot to a one-year contract.

The team announced the deal alongside the signings of wide receiver Chase Claypool and linebacker Deion Jones on Friday morning.

Smoot has been a consistent contributor for the Jacksonville Jaguars since being selected by the team in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft, appearing in 99 games over the past seven seasons. He’s notched 133 tackles, 64 quarterback hits, and 23.5 sacks throughout his career, his best season coming in 2021 when he started 10 games and recorded 6.0 quarterback takedowns.

He’s coming off a down 2023 season in which he missed five games due to an Achilles injury he suffered late in the 2022 campaign; Smoot suited up in 12 games last season, recording just 10 tackles and one sack.

Though he’s never been one of the league’s premiere pass rushers, there’s a legitimate path for Smoot, now 29 years of age, to carve out a role on a Buffalo defensive line that likes to rotate its contributors. Greg Rousseau and A.J. Epenesa are penciled in as the Bills’ starters at defensive end, but behind Von Miller, there’s room for snaps to be earned. Smoot has the experience necessary to make him a leading contender in the competition, and he’s also a high-character individual, an attribute greatly valued by Buffalo’s brass; Smoot was Jacksonville’s nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award in the 2023 NFL season.

Smoot will compete with the likes of Casey Toohill, Kingsley Jonathan, and 2024 fifth-round pick Javon Solomon for a roster spot in training camp. Though far from a sure thing, he perhaps has the clearest path to the roster out of Buffalo’s three Friday signings.